It’s a natural human desire to be liked and accepted.

But if you say things you don’t really mean in order to get that acceptance, you’re paying a high price.

I’m not talking about basic politeness. It’s more about being inauthentic when you’re thinking:

I have to get this sale.
I want them to like me.
I have to make sure they don’t quit.

We’ve all done it.

But the price is you lose a little bit of trust in yourself.

This may seem better than having others reject you.

But it’s not.

Every time you speak or act counter to what you really believe, the incongruence diminishes your personal power.

Exactly what you don’t want as a leader.

The antidote is to trust yourself and be courageous, congruent and authentic.

Acting congruently and communicating clearly is a precious gift you can give to every person.

It’s much more valuable than saying or doing something just to get people to like you, buy from you, work for you.

If someone approves of you, buys from you, or works for you as a result of people pleasing behavior, they aren’t really liking or approving of the REAL you anyway.

They’re interacting with a fake version of you.

It requires a tremendous amount of energy to hold the construct of this fake version.

That’s energy you could be using to grow your business instead.

Be so confident in who you are, what you stand for and the value you provide that the customers, employees, friends and others who are attracted to your energy are truly connecting with the real you.

Then it’s easy and enjoyable to be you. It’s not an effort because it’s real.

It’s more important to be respected than liked.